Heating unit



W. A. SALISBURY Sept. 10, 1929.

HEATING UNIT Filed Nov. 4, 1926 2 Sheets-Sheet INVENTOR MAJ ATTORNEY p w. A. SALl SBURY 1,727,564

' HEATING UNIT Filed Nov. 4, 1926 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Ill I, 5 i 1 1 1 1 l 1 1 1 1 i 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 l 1 1 1 I 1 1 5 5 1 '1 1 I 1 1 1 2 1 n 1 1 1 1 1 1 e '1 "1."..- 11,011,"... IIIIIIIII'IF INVENTOR MM. 541 ISBl/PY TORNEY Patented Sept. 10, 1929.

WILBUR A. SALISBURY, OF SEATTLE, WASHINGTON.

HEATING UNIT.

Application filed November 4, 1926.

This invention relates to improvements in heating units, and particularly to devices of that character that are especially designed for residence heating; the principal object of the invention being to provide a neat and attractive electrically heated, steam radiator that is portable and may be quickly heated to any selected one of a plurality of different heats.

More specifically stated, the invention resides in the provision of a portable heating unit comprising a radiatorand a small boiler connected therewith; the latter containing electric elements of novel arrangement and construction whereby steam may be quickly generated to heat the radiator.

Another object of the invention is to provide a heating unit of the above character wherein the radiator comprises a plurality of sections connected at their upper and lower ends for the circulation of steam from one to the other and wherein each of the sections is connected directly with a drain pipe which delivers the water of condensation back to the r boiler, and which makes possible the use of much less water than ordinarily is required. A still further object is to provide heating elements of novel construction and to so 10- cate them in the boiler that the greatest ef ficiency may be gained from their use.

Another important object is to provide the radiator with an air vent at a point which will make possible the complete exhaustion of all air from the radiator and the radiator to be completely filled with steam.

Other objects of the invention reside in the various details of construction and combination of parts as is hereinafter described and set forth in the claim.

In accomplishing these and other objects, I have provided the improved details of construction, the preferred forms of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein Figure 1 is a side elevation of a heating unit embodying the present invention.

Figure 2 is an enlarged, sectional detail view of the same, illustrating particularly the steam and water circulation connect-ions.

Serial N0. 146,150.

the line 4tl in Figure 3.

Figure 5 is a perspective View showing parts of the boiler and heating elements in disassembled relation.

Figure 6 is a diagrammatic view of the wirlng connections for controlling the heating elements.

Referring more in detail to the several views of the drawings The device, in its preferred form of construction as shown in Figure 1, comprises a radiator designated as a whole by reference numeral 1 and a steam generating boiler designated by reference numeral 2; the boiler being disposed at one end of the radiator and is connected at its upper end to the upper end of the adjacent section of the radiator by means of a pipe 3 and at its lower end has a return pipe 4: leading thereto which, in turn, has drainage pipe connections 5 with the lower end of each section of the radiator.

The radiator may be one of any of the types now generally used with steam or hot water heating systems and it may comprise any desired number of sections according to the amount of radiating surface desired.

order that the unit may be easily moved about, it 1s mounted on casters, or rollers, 6, pivotally mounted in the legs 7 at the ends of the radiator.

Referring more in detail to the construction of the radiator, as shown best in Figure 2, it comprises a plurality of sections 1 each comprising a plurality of vertical tubes connected across their upper and lower ends. The several sections making up the radiator are arranged in juxtaposition and are connected at their upper and lower ends by suit able means, such as the short bushings 9, so that steam entering the top end of the end section from pipe 3 may flow directly through the alined connections and to the section at the other end of the radiator and then downwardly and then back through the alined connections at the lower ends of the sections, from which it passes upwardly through the several sections to fill the radiator.

An air exhaust valve 10 of a suitable type is threaded into the lower portion 01 the section 1 that is adjacent the boiler and this operates auto mati ally to exhaust air as it is forced from the radiator and replaced by the stean. i l ater from condensation of steam in the several sections is returned through the pipes 5 into pipe 4 and is delivered thereby back to the boiler.

The boiler 2, in its preferred form of con struction, is of rectangular, or box-like, form .nd is disposed transversely across the end it the radiator. The pipe 3 connects therewith centrally of the top w. ll and the pipe 1 opens through the lower edge of a side wall of the boiler. \Vithin the boiler are two heating elements. each of which is inclosed wi. a flue 12 and the two flues are disposed in spaced apart relation and also spaced from the side walls of the boiler so as to provide a vertical passage, or water leg 13 between them and also water legs 14;14 between their outer sides and the side walls of the boiler. These water passages are made shallow in order to facilitate a quick generation of steam Each of the heating elements, contained within the fiues 12, is made up of a rectangular, copper frame 15; the parts of which are of channel form, and porcelain tubes 16 are mounted in parallel relation therein, the ends of the tubes being extended through openings 17 in bars 18 that are fixed vertically between the upper and lower horizontal rails of the frame 15. After the insulating tubes have been so mounted they are plastered over with a suitable diaelectric cement to form a sort of brick, and the elements may he slipped into or from the fines.

A coiled wire 20, t'ormin the heating element, is then threaded latch and forth through the several tubes and its ends are connected with terminals 2121 extended through the end wall of the frame where exterior connections may be made with a control switch presently described. Each ele ment, thus formed, is encased by its frame 15 and its flue 12 and the flues are joined together and to the side walls of the boiler by a plurality of stay bolts 25 to give the boiler sutficient strength to withstand steam pressure far in excess of what will be required.

Enclosing the boiler is an asbestos casing 27 and this, in turn, is encased in a polished metal housing 28 which adds attractiveness to the devic There is also an insulating plate 29 overlying the end of each element where the wiring connections are made.

At one end of the boiler'are extending lugs 303O and bolted to these is a bracket plate 31 having a laterally turned portion 32 at its upper end overlying theboiler and providing a mounting for a three-heat switch designated at 33. The circuit wires 34--35, which connect the switch with a source of electricity are brought to the switch through a flexible,

armoured tube 36 that leads into a housing 37 fixed to the plate 31. Vii-es 38 and 39 lead from difi'erent contacts of the switch, respectively, to upper and lower terminals 21-21 of one of the heating elements, a wire 40 leads from the switch to the lower terminal of the other element and a wire 41 connects the upper terminal of the second element to the lower terminal of the first element. By use of the special switch 33 and the connections shown, any selected one of the three dillerent degrees of heat may be produced in the boiler.

As a matter of safety, the boiler is provided with a water glass 45 through which the height of water in the boiler may be seen. This is located at the inside of the boiler in a position where it cannot be easily damaged. Also, the radiator is provided with a gauge 46 whereby the steam pressure therein will be indicated.

F or the purpose of filling the boiler, the outer end fitting 46, which provides connection of the pipe 4 with the radiator, is provided with a removable plug 47 and for draining the system the pipe 4 is provided at its end with a removable plug 48.

1V ith the device so constructed, its operation is as follows: First, the boiler is filled with a required amount of water which would about half fill the boiler and would fill the pipes 5 which connect the radiator sections Jith the drain pipe 4. Then, the boiler is heated by closing a circuit through the heating elements; the desired heat, either high, low, or intermediate being had by proper setting of the switch 33. The thin walls of water surrounding the fiues is quickly generated into steam and this steam in contact with the elements above the water level is super-heated to a high degree. The steam flows from pipe 3, as shown by the direction of the arrows in Figure 2, across the top of the radiator to the outer end section and then back to fill the various sections as the air is expo led through valve 10. Water of con densation flows back into pipe 5 and drain pipe 4 to the boiler.

This construction provides for the use of much less water than is ordinarily used and, as a result, a much quicker generation of steam. Each pipe 5 retains sufficient water for the generation of steam to fill the section with which it is connected and therefore no excess water is contained in the system and a minimum amount of electrical current is required to give maximum efiiciency.

The advantage of the present construction shown by the fact that in a radiator not using this particular drain pipe connection it requires approximately 5 quarts of water, whereas the present, for the same heating capacity, only requires one and one-half pints and shows a reduction of twenty two per cent (22%) in electricity for heating.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new therein and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

In a heating unit of the character described, a steam generating boiler comprising a casing, a plurality of spaced apart fiues in said casing forming shallow Water legs between them and at their outer sides, said fiues opening to the ends of the casing, heating elements removably disposed in said fines, each comprising a frame, binding posts at one end of the frame, a plurality of insulating tubes mounted in said frame, a resistance wire threaded through the tubes and connected with said posts, a bracket mounted by the boiler casing, a circuit control switch mounted by the bracket and having operative electric connection with the binding posts of the heating elements.

Signed at Seattle, Washington this 26th day of October 1926.

WILBUR A. SALISBURY. 

